WHAT ARE ASSASSIN

The Assassins (Arabic: الحشاشين‎ Ḥashāshīn, also Hashishin or Hashashiyyin, Persian: حشیشیون / Hašišiyun (UniPers)) were an order of Nizari Ismailis, particularly those of Syria and Persia that existed from around 1092 to 1265. Posing a strong military threat to Sunni Saljuq authority within the Persian territories, the Nizari Ismailis captured and inhabited many mountain fortresses under the leadership of the Persian Hassan-i Sabbah.
The name 'Assassins' comes from the arabic Hashishin or "users of hashish " was originally derogatory and used by their adversaries during the Middle Ages; the modern word "assassin" is derived from this name. Preserved within European sources, such as the writings of Marco Polo, they were depicted as trained killers, responsible for the systematic elimination of opposing figures. The term hashish connoted meanings such as "outcast" or "rabble".